New Charitable Status for Lam Rim Buddhist Centre

Announcement: New Charitable Status for Lam Rim Buddhist Centre as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)

We are delighted to announce that Lam Rim Buddhist Centre is now a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.

This latest achievement is another significant milestone for Lam Rim Wales. Beginning with the purchase of Pentwyn Manor in 1978, thanks to the determination and generosity of a small group of committed individuals, Lam Rim Buddhist Centre was established as a Charitable Trust in 1984.

Creation of the New CIO

The original charitable trust has served Lam Rim for more than four decades, but the new CIO provides a more modern structure better suited to the Centre today and into the future.

As a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), Lam Rim Buddhist Centre now benefits from its own legal identity. This means the Charity can own property, enter into contracts and undertake legal arrangements in its own name. The property (buildings and land) can also be registered at HM Land Registry directly in the name of the CIO.

The CIO structure also provides greater protection for Trustees acting properly on behalf of the Charity.

The Charity will continue to be fully regulated by the Charity Commission, and its Annual Reports will continue to be publicly available.

The current Trustees have worked diligently with the support of Lam Rim’s solicitor to ensure a smooth transition and the transfer of the Charity’s assets from the previous Trust to the new CIO.

Refinement of the Charitable Objects

The process has also given us an opportunity to review, refine and strengthen Lam Rim’s charitable objects for the future.

The new objects are more detailed and provide significantly greater clarity around Lam Rim’s particular identity and purpose.

The Charity will continue to advance the Buddhist religion for the benefit of the public, primarily through the ‘study and practice of Gelugpa Tibetan Buddhism, in harmony with the teachings of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.’ This reflects the lineage and practice of Lam Rim’s founding Spiritual Director, Venerable Geshe Damchö Yonten.

The Charity will continue, as previously, to provide Buddhist religious teachings, talks, seminars, events, conferences and retreats in the Gelugpa tradition; whilst providing space for teachings and activities from other Buddhist lineages, other religions and worldviews, and for secular and well-being courses that are compatible with Buddhist ethics.

The new objects also formally recognise the maintenance of the buildings, grounds and facilities needed in support of this work. Together, these changes provide Lam Rim with a clearer and stronger foundation for the future, while helping to safeguard the purpose and tradition at the heart of the Centre.

We are hugely grateful to every person who has supported Lam Rim in some way throughout its history and to those who are supporting it today – whether as a casual day visitor, course attendee, retreatant, Buddhist student, volunteer, acting manager, trustee or by kindly making the all-important monetary and other donations needed to help maintain the Centre.

As always, our greatest debt is to all the many inspiring teachers and esteemed Buddhist masters who have visited and taught at Lam Rim and especially the founding Spiritual Director Geshe Damchö Yonten, whose legacy continues to benefit all those who visit and enjoy Lam Rim Buddhist Centre, Wales, today and into the future.

We hope you’ll join us in celebrating this next stage of Lam Rim Buddhist Centre. We look forward to continuing this journey with you.

Trustees of Lam Rim - October 2026